Do What You Like, Even if You’re Not Perfect

Creativity is so versatile. There’s a myriad of mediums, styles and ideas that a creator could use to express what they are feeling or thinking. If there’s a story you want to get out there, you can make a novel or a play. If there’s an image you want to display, you can paint it, sketch it or even draw it digitally. Naturally, we tend to gravitate towards certain things. But there’s no need to box yourself in, if you don’t want to. If you have an interest in a particular medium, then there’s really no harm in trying your hand at it.

I was someone, as in just up until a few months ago, that was unwilling to try things that I wasn’t already sure that I would be good at it. There were so many things that I was interested in, but was too scared to try, or rather, I was unwilling to see things that I would consider a failure. But branching out into things that I’ve always wanted to learn has helped me strengthen my craft.

In writing, I’ve always known that I like short stories. I’ve seen it in the fact that I used to always jot down little stories in composition notebooks. I also saw it in my tendencies to write fanfiction, a pass time that I’m far less embarrassed about than I used to be. However, the idea of a novel was just entirely too daunting. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was willing to try my hand at writing one. Granted, it is difficult, on some days more so than I thought. However, I am making progress and it’s something I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t done what I wanted.

This is also something I’ve noticed with art as well. I’ve always enjoyed drawing people, especially in sketching. However, I’ve always been interested in painting, coloring with copic markers and sculpting. Similarly to writing, I was unwilling to try these things because I figured it wouldn’t look good (and it’s kind of expensive to buy these things as well). I finally decided to save money to try the things I’ve always been interested in and have developed a new skill.

It can feel overwhelming to try something new, regardless of how much you have an interest in it. But giving yourself a chance is the only way to grow. I hope this inspires others to try something that they’ve always been interested in.